Alumni from Uni Münster and FU Berlin meet in São Paulo

The official residence of the German Consul General in Brazil was once again the venue for the University of Münster's annual alumni meeting, which was organised jointly with the Freie Universität Berlin as in 2022. Almost 40 participants came together on 26 November in the beautiful evening weather to exchange contacts and experiences. 

The 2024 meeting is the eighth to be organised by the Brazil Centre's liaison office in São Paulo. This tradition began in 2016 at the same location - the residence of the previous Consul General. After prior gatherings in Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and at the time of the pandemic, the meeting was one of the highlights of the office's annual programme, which sees its alumni as ambassadors and multipliers of UM's activities in Brazil. In this way, the events are organised in such a way that the commitment of alumni, researchers and teachers to the university is maintained and the relationships built in the past remain sustainable and enduring. In addition, the exchange between alumni from different fields and with various academic experiences enables the discovery and promotion of new formats for mobility and collaboration.   

This year's meeting included a special programme. In addition to presentations by the two universities on their local and regional activities, institutional news and funding opportunities, alumni from both universities held presentations on biodiversity. In a complementary manner, Dr. Guilherme de Queiroz-Stein, strategic analyst for science, technology and innovation at the Brazilian development agency FINEP and former PhD student at UM's Department of Political Science, and Dr. Regine Schönenberg, head of the Heinrich Böll Foundation's office in Rio de Janeiro and former PhD student at FU Berlin, shared their academic experiences on this topic. With very different personal and professional backgrounds, both emphasised the significance of understanding the importance of biodiversity - especially Brazilian biodiversity - for the continuation of communities and for the economy. After the presentations, participants had the opportunity to chat, network and share their experiences in Münster and Berlin. At the end of the event, there were delighted comments and great ambitions for future meetings. 

If you have studied, researched, or lectured at the University of Münster and are interested in joining the alumni network in Brazil, fill out the online form to receive invitations to our meetings. 

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